Why Older Folks Need a GPS:

[hnzw_rui]

I actually like to use both. A GPS can really be handy to get you in and out of a bunch of street changes. But I still like to use google maps ahead of time, and I usually sketch a little map witht he roads before and after changes. You never know if that GPS is going to flake out, or you drop it, or whatever - I like to have an idea how to get there, just in case.

Same here. Aside from printed navigation and GPS, we also have a Thomas Guide in the car.

 

[Midpack]

Call me old school but I still prefer a printed map and plan my route ahead of time. When the mega solar flare takes out the satellites, everyone will be driving around in circles and my system will still be working . Besides that, I have a wife who is more than happy to tell me where to go. I'm sure I'll join the gps club when we retire and travel more.

I am comfortable with maps, but it sure is nice when you get turned around in some unfamiliar place and your GPS automatically recalculates your route for you IME. Pulling over to consult a map in NYC (or any high traffic area) during rush hour or night can be troublesome. YMMV

 

[txtig]

Quote: "I stopped using the dashboard GPS a couple of years ago. I use the Waze app on my iPhone. It's a crowd sourced app that give pretty accurate traffic conditions. It will reroute me to avoid traffic jams. The voice directions are great. I hardly have to look at the screen."

+1 on Waze. This app provides real-time data on speed traps, road congestion, road hazards and traffic jams. But, the real beauty is its ability to re-route you to avoid traffic. Last week, I attended a boat & car show in Houston. I had planned on taking I-45 south towards Clear Lake, but it was a jammed up with traffic. Waze re-routed me to some back roads that had almost no traffic at all. It was slick. When I first started using Waze a few years ago, it tried to re-route me off of I-10 as I was just getting close to Baton Rouge. I thought that it had gone nuts, so I ignored it. Well, a few miles later the traffic came to a complete standstill. Was stuck the for over an hour while they cleared an accident. Really wished I had listened to my Waze then.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Chuckanut]

Older folks need GPS

I can read a map. Many of the millennials I know can't.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm totally dependent on my portable garmin gps.

The best feature is when missing a turn, the thing recalculates. Try that with a paper map.

Pre-gps days, one wrong turn could cost me an hour .

 

[Nunthewiser]

The one and only time I used a dedicated GPS unit was in Italy in 2011. I bought a used Magellan loaded with European maps on ebay for about $20 and trucked it over. We used it for one day in Tuscany and it was just great as SWMBO is, frankly, not a good navigator and is easily flustered while I am floundering behind the wheel. Well, the second day, the blasted little pin in the socket that goes to power supply broke off and , without tools or parts, we were SOL and were back on maps.

Next time, I will likely be using one of the free Android apps like OSMand or Navfree that use open source maps. They work well without data, though they take some learning. The maps don't take all that much memory- IIRC the Florida map is about 120 gb

 

[audreyh1]

Older folks need GPS

I can read a map. Many of the millennials I know can't.

But your map doesn't know where you had decided to go when you started out. What do you do if you forget where you were going en route?

 

[aja8888]

But your map doesn't know where you had decided to go when you started out. What do you do if you forget where you were going en route?

I guess you have choices:

1. Turn around and go home,

2. Call Mom and ask her,

3. Ask yourself why you are still allowed to drive.

 

[explanade]

Older folks need GPS

I can read a map. Many of the millennials I know can't.

Do you also use a typewriter instead of a computer with word processing software?


For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

 

[aja8888]

For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

From what I can remember, we used to meet and talk in person.

 

[explanade]

Meet where though?

Cafes weren't a big thing, no Starbucks in every corner.

I don't think there was as much opportunity to meet and exchange with people with similar interests on just about every topic you can think of.

There used to be AOL but that was tiny compared to how things are today.

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm totally dependent on my portable garmin gps.

The best feature is when missing a turn, the thing recalculates. Try that with a paper map.

Pre-gps days, one wrong turn could cost me an hour .

Wrong turns are still costly when you drive a motorhome towing a car, particularly as you can never ever back up with a flat-towed car. So far, I have driven only twice into dead-ends that require me to get out and disconnect the towed car so I can turn around.

Still, I turn off the navigation guidance whenever I miss a turn. It's because I would have to figure out how to get back on route by myself, and cannot blindly follow the guidance which may lead me down narrow streets or roads.

PS. What MS S&T does is to highlight the preprogrammed route in blue. When missing a turn, I would drive on my own trying to converge back onto that route. Quite often, it requires me to pull over, and reprogram a new route from the current position. This is particularly true when you need to get to a freeway ramp, as it may not be easily found by a cursory look at the map (by my wife!) while I am driving.

 

[NW-Bound]

Our ROADTREK is a Class B RV (Chevrolet Express Van), so there is insufficient room for anything larger than 6"-7". I do, however, keep S&Ts running in the back. I do this to log exactly where I have been.

BTW, Microsoft stopped supporting S&T two years ago. What are we going to do when we have to upgrade our computers and cannot use the activation code? This will be like losing a part of the family.

Class C RVs are built on "cut-away" van chassis made by either Ford or Chevy for applications like RVs, ambulances, cargo vans, shuttle buses, and maybe their cabin and dashboard are larger than those of passenger vans.

Before the 10" netbook, I used to run MS S&T on a 14" laptop, and it rested comfortably on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat. It was far enough from me that it did not obstruct the view at all.

I still run MS S&T 2013, and did not know MS has discontinued this product. I guess I will keep using it until the map database becomes so obsolete due to new roads not getting updated. That may be a while though.

 

[Sarah in SC]

+2 on Waze. It is a great thing.

I also really like a feature on my phone where I can ask Google "traffic on x island" and get a real-time map to see what things look like ahead. That way, if it is all backed up, I know to make some happy hour plans before the bridge!

 

[RonBoyd]

For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

We led very sheltered lives. (relative to today)

 

[ChiliPepr]

In case you forget where are you going while you are driving!!!

That happened to us today. On the way somewhere I too a quick detour to the bank to check something. And upon leaving headed home. DH remarks that the GPS wants us to do a U-turn.

Right - we forgot we were on our way to a favorite breakfast spot!

Good thing the GPS knew where we were supposed to go!

I find it funny that you needed a gps to get to a favorite breakfast spot!

 

[RonBoyd]

did not know MS has discontinued this product. I guess I will keep using it until the map database becomes so obsolete due to new roads not getting updated. That may be a while though.

Not just discontinued... abandoned. It is as if it never existed as far as they are concerned.

The bigger problem is the activation code which is limited to two machines. We have used up the codes with our copies.

 

[explanade]

Yeah I believe MS has to decide whether to try to acquire Here maps from Nokia, to support its mobile platforms going forward.

 

[NW-Bound]

Uh Oh! I hope my current hardware setup will work for a while.

For that matter, what did people use before Internet forums?

And I have wondered how I found a restroom or was able to hold my bladder back in the days we did roadtrips without a motorhome. Sure, people manage but if you do not have to, isn't it better?

 

[explanade]

I remember there used to be little guides that you could load on iPods back around 10 years ago. So for instance, you could load language lessons as a collection of small MP3 files and navigate them.

One of the content you could get was a list of all the public restrooms in London, with ratings.

I'm sure there's an app. somewhere for that now.

 

[audreyh1]

I find it funny that you needed a gps to get to a favorite breakfast spot!

I already explained that we were coming from an unusual direction and had to check for the best route. And then we got distracted when we passed the bank and I remembered I had something to do there.

 

[Chuckanut]

Do you also use a typewriter instead of a computer with word processing software?

Yes. I connect my typewriter to my phone outlet using some scrap phone wire I picked up from a construction site. That's how I get my messages to this forum.

 

[Walt34]

I am comfortable with maps, but it sure is nice when you get turned around in some unfamiliar place and your GPS automatically recalculates your route for you IME.

That's where I am too. It is nice to have it recalculate a new route if I miss a turn and it does that much faster than either I or DW can do it.

 

[Ronstar]

I recently used DW's garmin nuvi to navigate my way from Phoenix to the Chicago area. I rarely took interstates so I heard "recalculating" quite a bit. But it made a few mistakes along the way. There was a section of Rte 89 south of Page, Az that was closed for some time due to a landslide a few years ago. It reopened while I was there. But the entire highway was missing in the Nuvi map, not just the part closed for road repair. Luckily I had a real map for a backup.

 

[48Fire]

I overheard a couple in their 80's talking to another friend. She couldn't see, and he couldn't remember anything. So he drove, and would describe what was coming - gas station, Denny's restaurant, etc. She would then say "Turn here!!". All were pretty entertained by their skill (or lack of).